Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-03-12
REV. DR.. .TALMAGE,
THE BROOKLYN DIvINEs SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject Of Discourse: "Tho Ran
somed."

v
Corinthians, vi, 20.
Your friend takes you through his valu
able house. You examine the arches, thi
fresco. the grass-plots, the fish-ponds, thu
conservatories the parks OF deef, and yot
say within yourself, or you say aloud
"What did all this costp You see costly
apparel, or YOU see a high-mettled span Of
horses harnessed with silver and gold, and
you begin TO make an estimate of the value
The man who owns a large estate cannot in
stantly tell you what it is all worth. HI
says: 81 will estimate SO much for the
house, SO much for the furniture, SO MUCK
for laying out the grounds, so much for the
stock, so much for the barn, so much fol
the equipage-adding up, in all making THU
Well, nv friends, hear so much about ou
mansion in heaven, about its furniture and
the grand surroundings, that / want to know
how much it is all worth, and what has actlt
ally been paid for it. | cannot complete ir
month or year the magnificent calcula
ton; but b lfore get through to-day hope
to give yah the figures. "Ye are bought
with prioD."
With some friends went to London
Tower to look at the crown jewels Of Eng.
land. We walked around: caught one glimpse
of them, and being in the procession were
compelled to pass out. wish that to-day
could take this audience into the tower OF
Gods mercy and strength, that you might
walk around just once at least and see the
crown jewels of eternity, behold their brill
lance and estimate their value. "Ye are
bought with a price" Now, if you have
large amount Of money to pay, you do not
pay it all at once, but you pay it by Install
ments-so much the first OF January, so much
the first Of April, SO much the first OF July,
SO much the first of October, until the entire
amount is paid. And have to tell this audi
ence that "You have been bought with a
v,rioo ord that that r1rica maid in hi fer
emit installments.
The first installment paid for the clearance
of our souls was the ignominious birth OF
Christ in Bethlehem. Though we may never
be carefully looked after afterward, our ad-
vent into the world is carefully guarded. We
come into the world amid kindly attentions.
Privacy and silence are afforded when God
launches an immortal soul into the world.
Even the toughest of men know enough to
stand back But have to tell you that in
the village on the side Of the hill there was
very bedlam of uproar when Jesus was
born. In village capable OF accommodate
ing only few hundred people, many thou
sand people were crowded; and amid hos
tiers and muleteers and camel drivers yelling
at stupid beasts of burden, the Messiah ap-
peared. No silence. No privacy. A better
adapted place hath the eaglet in the eyrle-
hath the whelp in the lions lair. The exile Of
heaven lieth down upon the straw. The
first night out from the palace of heaven
spent in an clubhouse. One hour after laying
aside the robes of heaven, dressed in
wrapper of coarse linen. One would have
supposed that Christ would have made
more gradual descent coming from heaven
first to a halfway world of great magnitude,
castle in Galilee, then to private home in
Bethany, then to fishermans hut, and last
of all to the stable. mol it was one leap
from the top to the bottom.
Let us open the door of the caravansary in
Bethlehem, and drive away the camels;
Press on through the group Of idlers and
loungers. What, o Mary, no lightl " No
light" she says, save that which comes
through the door, What, Mary, no food!
None" she says, 'only that which is
brought in the sack on the journey" Let
the Bethlehem woman who has come in here
with kindly attentions put back the covering
from the babe that we may look upon it.
Lookl Look! Uncover your head. Let us
kneel Let all voices be hushed Son Of Mary!
Son of Godl Child of a day-mon-
arch of eternity In that eye the
glance Of a God. Omnipotence sheathed
in that babes arm. That voice to be
changed from the feeble plant to the tone
that shall wake the dead. Hosannal Ho-
sannal Glory be to God that Jesus came
from throne to manger that we might rise
from manger to throne, and that all the gates
are open, and that the door of heaven that
once swung this way to let Jesus out, now
swings the other way to let us in. Let all
the bellmen of heaven lay hold the rope, and
ring out the news: "Behold, / bring you
glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to
all people; for to-day is born in the city Of
David Saviour which is Christ the Lordl"
The second installment paid for our souls
clearance was the scene in Quarantania, a
mountainous region full of caverns, where
there are to this day panthers and wild
beasts of all sorts; so that you must now.
the traveller says, go there armed with knife
or gun or pistol It was there that Jesus
went to think and pray, and it was there
that this monster of hell, more sly.
n that country-Satan himself, met
Christ. The rose in the cheek of Christ
that Publius Lentulus, in his letter to the
Roman Senate, ascribed to Jesus-that rose
had scattered its petals. Abstinence from
-ood had thrown him into emaciation. The
longest abstinence from food recorded in
profane history is that of the crew of the
ship Juno; for twenty three days they had
nothing to eat. But this sufferer had tasted
month and ten days before He broke fast.
Hunger must have agonized every fibre of
the body and gnawed on the stomach with
teeth Of death. The thought of a morsel Of
bread or meat must have thrilled the body
with something like ferocity. Turn out a
pack of men hungry as Christ was a-hun-
gered, and If they had strength, with one
yell they would devour you as lion would
a kid. 1t was in that pang of hunger that
Jesus was accosted, and Satan said: snow
change these stones, which look like bread,
into an actual supply Of bread" Had the
temptation come to you or me under those
circumstances, we would have CRIED" Bread
it shall be-" and had been almost impatient
at the time taken for mastication; but
Christ with one hand beat back the hunger,
and with the other hand beat back the mon
arch Of darkness. 0. ye tempted onesl
Christ was tempted. We are told that Ma
poleon ordered coat OF mail made; but he
was not quite certain that it was impene-
trable, SO he said to the manufacturer of
that coat Of mail: "Put it on now your
sclf and let us try it," aud with shot
sitter shot from his own pistol the Emperor
found out that it was just what it pretended
to be-a good coat of mail. Then the man
received large reward. bless God that
the same coat of mail that struck back the
weapons of temptation from the heart of
Christ we. may all now wear; for Jesus
comes and says: ~ have been tempted and
know what it is TO be tempted. Take this
robe that defended Me and wear IL for your
selves. will see you through all trials, aud
will see you through all temptation"
But, says Satan still further to Jesus,
come and will show you something worth
looking at" and after a half-day's journey
thay came to Jerusalem and to the top Of the
Temple. just as one might go up in th,
tower Of Antwerp and look of upon Bel
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